Improvement in thill-couplings



2 She'ets--S'heet 1.

S. A. HATHAWAY.

TMll-Coupling.

Patented Aug. 17,- 1875.

N. PETERS, PNnTo-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. ILC:

2 Sheets--Sheet 2. S. A. HATHAWAY.

` Thi'il-cnupling- N0.l66,697. P.atentedAug.17,1875.

"UNITED STATES PAfrENfi1 FEICE.

SAMUEL A. HATHAWAY, OE NORWALK, CONNECTICUT, Ass'IeNOR OF ONE- HALF His RIGHT TO GEORGE H. sTEDwELL, OE NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN THlLL-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 166,697, dated August 17, 1875; application filed June 2l, `1875.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL A. HATHA- WAY, of the city of Norwalk, county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain Improvements in Thin-Couplings for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to devices for securing the thills to the axle-tree of a vehicle, in which a bolt and nut are employed to secure the parts together; and consists in the special arrangement and construction shown and described, in which the bolt that secures the thill is passed through two shouldered cheekpieces, (one secured to the axle-tree andthe other removable,) in each of which is formed a socket for the .reception of opposite ends of a pivot that passes through the strap or eye which is secured to the end of the thill, in contradistinction to the old method, iu which the bolt is passed directly through the strap or eye on the end of the thill, in which latter case the strain and working of the thill is directly upon the bolt, which renders the nut liable to work loose, and even to work off the bolt, and thus allow the bolt to escape from position, and let the end of the thill fall, all danger of which is obviated inv my device, since the metal strap or eye secured to the end of the thill works upon and is supported by au independent pivot, and there is no play or directstrain upon the bolt whatever'. The fastening is thus rendered more safe and durable, and the necessity for using rubber cushions to counteract rattling and noise is avoided, as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan of my device, as secured to the axletree of a vehicle; Fig. 2, a horizontal section ot' the same in plane of line x x, Fig. 3; Fig. 3, a vertical horizontal section in plane oi line y y, Fig. l; and Figs. 4, 5, and 6, respectively, perspective views of the several parts of my device separated.

In the drawings my improved coupling is shown as applied to a section of the axle-tree A of a vehicle by means ofthe strap a astride the axle tree, having threaded ends al al,

which pass through the base or ange b of the stationary cheek-piece B, and are secured by nuts a2 a2, thereby holding the ange b firmly against the bottom of the axle-tree. The lia-nge b supports and is formed with the cheek-piece B, having a' shoulder, b1, and jam b2. The removable cheek piece C is formed with a shoulder, c, which coincides with and fits into the jam b2 of the stationary cheek-piece B, while the shoulder b1 of the latter rests iu the jam c1. Both of the cheekpieces are provided with sockets d d', formed in the cheeks. b3 c2 for the reception of the opposite ends of the pivot E, which passes through the eye piece or strap G that is secured to the end of the thill. The body of this pivot E is made square, so as to tit closely the square hole in the strap or `A`eye-piece Gr; but its ends are cylindrical to fit the sockets d d in the cheeks b3 c2.

If preferred the removable pivot E may be dispensed with by forming journals upon the strap Gr attached to the thill, which shall fit into the sockets d d when the parts are secured together.

It will be perceived that the ends of the pivot E are inclosed and protected by the cheeks b3 c2, and by using a pivot with a square body fitting into a correspondinglyshaped eye attached to the thill, I avoid the eXcessivewear and rattling of parts consequent to the old method of coupling without using rubber or other pads for the purpose.

The bolt J is passed through holes b5 b3, formed for it in both cheek-pieces, and is secured by the nut j.

In order to couple or uncouple the thill the nut j is loosened, and the removable cheekpiece O drawn away from the stationary cheekpiece B a sufficient distance to allow the insertion or withdrawal of the ends of the pivot E into or from the sockets d d in the cheeks.

It will be seen that the shoulders b1 c are interposed between the pivot E and the bolt J, so as to relieve and protect the bolt from all strain and wear occasioned by the thill. For this reason also the bolt may be at any time readily and quickly withdrawn, Whereas in the old method of coupling in which the thill is supported directly by the bolt it is a difficult and tedious operation.

What I claim as my invention is- The thillcoupling herein shown and depivot E, arranged and operating substantially scribed, consisting' of the stationary cheekin the Ina-nner and for the purpose herein set piece B attached to the axle-tree, and formed forth. with shoulder b1, ja-m b2, and socket d, and the removable cheek-piece C, provided with shoul- SAMUEL A' HATHAWAY' der c, jam o1, socket d', said cheek-pieces be- Witnesses: ing secured together by the bolt J in colnb- W. S. PINCKNEY,

nation with the thill-strap or eye-piece G and WM. H. DEWOLF. 

